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As a long time Marvel zombie, I thought it would be prudent to broaden my horizons, so about a year ago (I think), I bought something from DC comics. Now, keep in mind, I’ve read some DC in recent years, and didn’t think very much of it, also the word on the street isn’t anything to get excited about either, as far as everything else they’re offering. So, what did I do? I grabbed some Alan Moore “Swamp Thing,” that’s what! I’ll admit, I had some preconceived notions about the book (negative), but they were dashed away in mere minutes. Moore took this character to new heights (from what I’ve read), and the book really opened my eyes to another comic book legend. My next thought was…”OK, but what about the beginnings of this character?” So, not long after reading the Moore run, I found a reprint copy of House of Secrets #92, Swamp Things first appearance. I knew it would be good, just from the creative team, and I wasn’t disappointed. It was a short story, and the issue had some good stories in it as well, featuring creators like Dick Dillin, Alan Weiss, and Tony DeZuniga, just to name a few!

I know the original is pretty high-priced, so grab a copy of the reprint or a trade, this issue is required reading! Story by Len Wein, art (and cover) by Bernie Wrightson, colors by Tatjana Wood, and edited by Joe Orlando! With creators like that involved, you know it’ll be a slam-dunk! One last note, and I’ll get out of here. There is a foreword by Robert Greenberger, and he explains the details of how the idea came about for this specific story. It describes the behind the scenes for this one, and really is a super cool story involving Wein, Wrightson, Louise Simonson, Mike Kaluta, and others. This story is worth the price of admission alone!

When it comes to interests and hobbies, I’m typically all in or I don’t care one bit, so my history of hanging at the periphery with comics is unusal for me. I don’t know the important arists and writers in comic history and have more or less popped in and out with characters and storylines, but I do find the artwork and general comcept fascinating, epecially the horror ones as you know. So maybe you can explain: Why do people fall into DC and Marvel camps? I recall as a kid being mesmerized by Marvel art and characters yet, when exposed to DC, I felt nothing whatsoever. However, plenty of people have the opposite experience. Why do you think that is?

I’m not 100% sure, but here’s my experience. When I first started reading comics, I was already VERY heavily into superheroes via TV & movies. I loved Superfriends, Spider-Man (1968 show in reruns), Spidey & His Amazing Friends, Superman & Superman II, etc. I was definitely more into Marvel superheroes though, so that’s the company that I gravitated towards when I first started buying/reading.

I grabbed a couple of DC books sporadically, but the writing never grabbed me. I loved the character/concept of Superman, but thought the books were terrible. Eventually, I did get some older material, and did enjoy that much more, but still thought Marvel was better. Their characters (Marvel) felt more “real” to me, as if they could really exist in the world I lived in. The DC characters always seemed too far removed from reality. That being said, I’ve always read comics as an escape from reality, so, go figure. 😀